The Ancients History Hit

Just over 1,000 years ago, the ancient Maya world in Mesoamerica was turned upside down. Prominent cities like Tikal, Palenque, Copan and Calakmul, their great stone art and architecture left to be gradually reclaimed by the jungle. It's a time of decline known as the Maya Collapse. But what caused it? And did the entirety of Mayan civilisation really disappear?

In today's episode of The Ancients Tristan Hughes is joined by podcaster and author Paul Cooper to explore this historic, yet mysterious collapse and delve into the trade networks, water systems, climate change, agricultural failure and civil unrest that made it possible.

Presented by Tristan Hughes. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight, the senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.

The Ancients is recording our first LIVE SHOW at the London Podcast Festival on Thursday 5th September 2024!
Book your tickets now to be in the audience and ask Tristan and his guest your burning questions.
Tickets on sale HERE https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/words/the-ancients/

Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘ANCIENTS’. https://historyhit.com/subscription

Vote for The Ancients in the Listeners Choice category of British Podcast Awards here.

You can take part in our listener survey here.

The ferocious, professional fighters who fought in great arenas all across the Roman Empire for the pleasure of the crowd were the celebrities of their day. They were sex symbols and yet they also ranked amongst the lowest in Roman society. Today the gladiator is one of the great images of ancient Rome but who exactly were they and what do we know about them?
Gladiator expert and historical consultant Alexander Mariotti joins Tristan Hughes to reveal the mind-blowing truth stories of these Roman professional fighters; from origins to lifestyle, to training and just how likely it was for a gladiator to be slain in the arena.
Presented by Tristan Hughes. Edited by Max Carrey and Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight, the senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.
The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.
The Ancients is recording our first LIVE SHOW at the London Podcast Festival on Thursday 5th September 2024!
Book your tickets now to be in the audience and ask Tristan and his guest your burning questions.
Tickets on sale HERE https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/words/the-ancients/
Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘ANCIENTS’. https://historyhit.com/subscription
Vote for The Ancients in the Listeners Choice category of British Podcast Awards here.
You can take part in our listener survey here.

For more than 100,000 years, Neanderthals made their home in Ice Age Britain, right on the edge of the inhabitable world. But what evidence do we have for this early species in what is today Britain?
Dr Matthew Pope from UCL joins Tristan Hughes to discuss this fascinating period pre-history; Neanderthal Britain. What do we know about these people's lifestyles, how long were they here for and what ultimately happened to them?
Presented by Tristan Hughes. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight, the senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.
The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.
The Ancients is recording our first LIVE SHOW at the London Podcast Festival on Thursday 5th September 2024!
Book your tickets now to be in the audience and ask Tristan and his guest your burning questions.
Tickets on sale HERE https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/words/the-ancients/
Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘ANCIENTS’. https://historyhit.com/subscription
Vote for The Ancients in the Listeners Choice category of British Podcast Awards here.
You can take part in our listener survey here.

In July's exclusive Subscriber-only episode we’re donning our helmets, tunics, arms and armour to prepare ourselves for survival in the Roman Army.

From life in the camps and the weapons we would employ to defeat our enemies, to deciphering what secrets lie in the designs of Roman military tombstones, we’re marching through all the facets of this particular career, whether it was a freely chosen one or not.

Presented by Tristan Hughes. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight, the senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.
The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.

The Ancients is recording our first LIVE SHOW at the London Podcast Festival on Thursday 5th September 2024!
Book your tickets now to be in the audience and ask Tristan and his guest your burning questions.
Tickets on sale HERE: https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/words/the-ancients/

The Pyramid of the Sun is ancient America’s Great Pyramid of Giza. Built in the legendary city of Teotihuacán, and given its name by the Aztecs, this magnificent step pyramid is another great wonder of the ancient world. But who built it? And what for? 
In today’s episode of The Ancients Tristan Hughes is joined by Annabeth Headrick, an expert on all things Teotihuacán to explore and uncover the mysteries that surround this massive Mesoamerican monument. 
Presented by Tristan Hughes. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight, the senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.
The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.
Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘ANCIENTS’. https://historyhit.com/subscription
Vote for The Ancients in the Listeners Choice category of British Podcast Awards here.
You can take part in our listener survey here.

Do all roads lead to Rome? We find out in today's episode all about one of the Roman Empire's greatest legacies - it's web-like network of roads and route-ways. From the famous Via Appia, the longest road in mainland Italy, to Watling Street, the road on which Boudica was defeated, Rome's roads left an indelible mark on the territories their centurions conquered.
But what do we actually know about these ancient streets and pathways? What was road travel like back in Roman times? And most importantly, what was their equivalent of a service station?
To explain all this and much more Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr Catherine Fletcher, author of a new book called The Roads to Rome.
Presented by Tristan Hughes. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight, the senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.
The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.
Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘ANCIENTS’. https://historyhit.com/subscription
Vote for The Ancients in the Listeners Choice category of British Podcast Awards here.
You can take part in our listener survey here.